More than 1,000 smart city pilots are in progress or ready to launch globally, and about 500 are in China, according to Deloitte. To meet the needs of its citizens competently and promptly, China needs to focus on improvements in several areas, including maintenance, design and strategy, Deloitte noted.

Qualcomm raised its offer to buy NXP Semiconductors to $44 billion as the chipmaker attempts to evade a hostile takeover from Broadcom. Several shareholders backed Qualcomm's new bid, including Elliott and Soroban Capital Partners.

Nuance announced it will no longer work on developing the Swype+Dragon dictation apps for Android and iOS devices. The company will instead focus on its B2B business and technology for the health care field.

Over 88% of companies were targeted by email phishing scams in 2017, up from 75% in 2016, per a Proofpoint report. Spoofed identities were on the rise in 2017, and social media-themed attacks also were significant, the report shows.

Company board directors need to take a bigger role in cybersecurity strategy, write Catherine Bromilow, Paula Loop and Sean Joyce. This includes adding people who know about cyberissues to the board, building relationships with relevant leaders and regularly reviewing the company's crisis management plans.

Stereo speakers are the latest surprise feature to be revealed by Samsung for its upcoming Galaxy S9 phone. The upgraded audio will complement the larger screen for video streaming and video sharing, writes Ewan Spence.

More companies are offering employees financial incentives, including cash and student loan payment matching, to reduce stress and to encourage them to participate in financial wellness programs. An International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans survey found that 17% of companies offering financial wellness programs had incentives in 2016, up from 10.7% in 2014.

SoftBank reportedly is prepping plans to go public with its domestic telecom division in an initial public offering that could raise more than $19 billion. SoftBank is expected to issue a call for proposals from securities firms that wish to be a part of the project.

5G's improved data transmission capabilities will grow the use of the internet of things and device-to-device communication, predicts Ed McLaughlin, CEO of Valderus. He asserts that the channel must be prepared for upcoming 5G regulations by doing research, being transparent with clients and creating a plan.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a report that offers companies and federal agencies advice on security with the internet of things. The document encourages lawmakers to create a set of requirements for IoT security and supports the idea of a blockchain system to decentralize security systems.